Does Sett Kingpin count himself as a buffed friendly unit for his own passive ability when he has a buff?

Question

Accepted Answer

Sett - Kingpin does count himself as a buffed friendly unit for his own passive if he has a Buff on him and is at the battlefield. The Buff object on him both grants +1 Might to the unit [703] and causes him to be counted by his passive (which gives +1 :rb_might: per buffed friendly unit at his battlefield).

Yes. If Sett - Kingpin has a Buff counter on him while he is at a battlefield you control, he is a buffed friendly unit and is counted by his passive. That Buff also separately grants him +1 Might as a Buff object [703].

Confirm Sett - Kingpin is at a battlefield you control and currently has a Buff counter placed on him per [702.2.a]. Because he has a Buff counter, he is a buffed unit; that Buff object grants +1 Might to him per [703]. Evaluate Sett - Kingpin's passive: it grants +1 :rb_might: for each buffed friendly unit at his battlefield. A buffed unit is any unit that has a Buff counter per [702.2.a], and "buffed friendly unit" is interpreted as a unit you control that is buffed (see example phrasing in [426.3]). Therefore, count Sett - Kingpin among the buffed friendly units at his battlefield, and give his passive +1 for that count. The net effect of his own Buff is two separate increases: +1 from the Buff object itself [703] and +1 from his passive counting himself.

If the Buff on Sett - Kingpin is spent or removed before his passive is evaluated (for example, an effect that spends a Buff [702.2.b] as a cost or replacement), he will no longer be a buffed unit and thus will not be counted by his passive. Because only one Buff can exist on a unit at a time [702.3], you cannot get multiple counts for multiple Buff counters on Sett - Kingpin. If Showstopper buffs a unit in your base and then moves it to a battlefield, the unit arrives buffed at the battlefield and will be counted by effects that look for buffed units at that battlefield (provided the buff remains) — the buff is an object placed on the unit per [702.2.a]. Interactions that change whether Sett - Kingpin is considered at the battlefield (for example, effects that move him to base or a non-board zone) will affect whether he is "at my battlefield" and therefore whether he is counted by his passive; a unit must be at the battlefield to be counted by a passive that specifies "at my battlefield."

Sett - Kingpin's passive reads "I get +1 :rb_might: for each buffed friendly unit at my battlefield." A unit is "Buffed" when a Buff counter (a Buff object) is placed on it [702.2.a]. Each Buff object also independently grants +1 Might to the unit that has it [703]. The phrase "Buff a friendly unit" appears as an example action format in rule text [426.3], which demonstrates that "friendly unit" is used to refer to units you control.

Putting those pieces together: if Sett - Kingpin has a Buff counter on him while he is at a battlefield you control, he qualifies as a buffed friendly unit at that battlefield (Buff existence per [702.2.a]). Therefore his passive counts him among the buffed friendly units and grants him +1 :rb_might: for that count. Separately, the Buff object on him grants +1 Might to him as a Buff [703].

So, concretely, Sett - Kingpin's own single Buff yields two benefits simultaneously: +1 Might from the Buff object itself [703], and +1 Might from his passive because he is a buffed friendly unit at his battlefield. Note that only one Buff can be on a unit at a time [702.3], and if that Buff is spent or removed (for example by an effect that spends a Buff) the unit ceases to be buffed [702.2.b] and would no longer be counted by the passive.